Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-04-29

every movement-one who would easily
pass for seventy at first sight. A lady Of
gentle manners, whose language would do
credit TO any teacher of modern days a
woman worth ones while TO meet, if for
no other reason than the silent influence
upon his life and thought Not in the
least annoyed by the appearance of
stranger, she said, Miss D. is a remark
able woman. She is a good friend to me
| am glad to see you for her sake. Be
seated by the window" and she took her
knitting work and seated herself and piled
the needles
was more Disconnected than she was
1t was not easy to proceed to business, 50
while ! was saying some commonplace
things about the weather and Chicago, |
took an inventory of the two small rooms,
of no great value to the owner, which she
rents for 81. 80 q week One scant carpet
is not old, while the better carpet is far
from new, but everything las neat as wax.
There were two minated chairs, one of
them sadly in need of repair, while a Gov
erless, discarded table of ancient order, a
bureau with old time capacity, and stove
which she said did very well for warm
weather, but had very little service in it in
winter, completed her outfit. How it was
possible TO warm two rooms under the most
favorable circumstances does not appear,
and each night the fire went out. There
was a cheap single bed, and she had taxed
her faith and economy in vain to secure
mattress TO put under the much priced
feather bed whose comfort depended en-
tirely upon better foundation. She long
gave up hoping for the mattress.
Ny courage came at last, and | said,
How are you getting along =
| Very well, | thank you, except that l
! - IL
! Just large enough for me. for / can get
round in them without realizing that am
getting old
you will excuse me, but do you have
all that you need =
Eyes, and more too and it all seems so
strange You wouldn't mind if should
tell you all about it, | don't know as |
ought to, but you say you are a friend of
Miss Dis, and it can't do any harm, and l
have been so excited all the week with no
body to tell it all to, and l will tell you if
you don't mind / will have to go back a
little. About a month ago lady in Yer
mont sent me piece printed in a teachers
paper in Boston about an old lady who used
to keep school in that state, in destitute cir
cumstances out west. She asked me if |
was the original and if | would accept a
donation from the people there where had
kept six different schools. | felt very
queer. How should a teachers paper in
Boston know anything about me. No one
had ever inquired. | wrote her it was all
true about me, and it didn't seem as though
there could be another such case, but
didn't know whether | was the original or
not but if any friends sent me money
should think it came from the Lord.
Now, do you know, that little town in
Vermont, and they are not very forehand-
ed, and there are not many left who knew
me when was younger, sent me S26. just
think of that Why, didn't know they
would care for me- Well, that came last
Monday and Tuesday, a man who used
to know me said he had heard of woman
like me through a teachers paper and sent
me s., and said he would send some more.
Then Wednesday Miss D. of New York
city sent me $40, and said l might use it
for special comforts, for she would send
some more in few days; and l needn't
worry any more about my rent, for she
would see that it was kept paid promptly
Now you understand why l am little
excited, for you see l didn't know how
could live till spring, and when spring
comes l am all right.
81 never prayed to have anything done
for mel didn't see how the Lord could
answer that prayer-but when the cold
| NtdNLcI came ldSl dululllll, L KNEW lllN
money was all gone and l couldn't possibly
earn my living, and so l prayed him every
day to let me die before got into too hard
place He hasn't let me die, but he has
done more for me than l ever thought pos
sible. It's a very strange way He has
taken. If | should tell you how it was
done it would be long story"
Assuring her that l had nothing in the
world to do but to hear her story, and
should be greatly interested, and that l was
entirely sure Miss D would like to
have her tell me, she proceeded, knitting
as she talked.
Il was but seventeen when | began TO
keep school in my native town in Vermont,
and they paid me but seventy-five cents a
week. That would seem very small to
teachers who get five, six or seven hundred
dollars year now. But that was long
time ago. | didn't know much as compared
with teachers now, but was a good schol-
ar, read u great deal, and would always
study between terms, and everybody said
knew how to keep school anyway if
could have kept six schools at a time
could have had them after | began, for the
prudential committees would come for me
didn't have any trouble in managing the
children; they liked me and always learn,
ed, and it wasn't long before had Sl.75 G
week, and | thought that was large pay.
but father was poor and l was ambi
tious and / soon went to Lowell into a mill
because it paid better, and being good al
figures and good writer, l helped keel
accounts
"You want to know what all this had t,
do with the answer to my prayer, l sup
pose. You will see.
81 staid there but three years, the long
est time by far that l was not keeping
school from seventeen to seventy, but
never liked the mill so well as keeping
school. Well, had friend there sh,
was none of your common girls Her faith
er was a talented man, but he hadn't fac
/, ulty for getting ahead much under Difficult
It ties, Amanda and l didn't like the mill
l could 90 back to keeping school, but sh
couldn't she hadn't had education enough
. We would talk it over at our work. an'
! study evenings, and talk about it into tn
u night. l didn't want TO go back TO keeping
y school and leave her there, for she wa
= more ambitious than l was. l told he
u Amos Lawrence was a rich man who like
; TO help girls, and she could get money o
5 him and pay it back and so she and 90
him to help her, and she went to school an,
l went up into New Hampshire, and afte
keeping a district school in two towns
kept select school in Hanover, where tn
e college is, and then got along very nicely
e "Well, Amanda she got through schoo
Il and they hired her to keep school RICH
% there in Lowell, but she met a nice ma
, and got married. and he became a judge
e believe, and she had very nice girl VIII
!, keeps school in New York city, and she
n your friend Miss D.. Well, | neve
-" married. and so l kept ON teaching,
> Last August Amanda died, and as wa
getting old ! sent all her letters to he
daughter, for they were too interesting t
be lost She was glad to get those letters
and so she wrote me, and don't have ma
ny friends to write to, and so | wrote
p her.
IL told you what hard time | was hay
n ing; my finances had all given out, and
ID knew / couldn't earn enough in the winte
TO live ON till spring. l had few yer
kind friends one real nice lady brings m
a the Congregationalist every week, and tina
IT keeps me company, for can read paper
A. you see, and keep ON knitting land she sti
y piled her needless, but can't do that wit
: book, but all these things wouldn't kee
me alive, and so | prayed 10 die before
got too hard The landlord said he woul
not turn me out, but / couldn't get any co,
- to start the winter with, and made up m
mind should freeze but one of the goo